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OVERVIEW The city of the hundred towers, the Paris of
Old city (Stare Mesto), Small City (Malรก Strana),
the East, Golden Prague, the city in the heart
Castle (Hradcany), New City (Nine Mesto),
of Europe ... and many other names. While
Vysehrad and the Great Prague (Velkรก Praha)
appreciating the beauty of this city, we can
best known and visited districts that were
understand why so many names are included
developed around the historical center. Also
in the list of Prague, the capital of the Czech
stands out, with its own identity, the district
Republic.
Josefov, the Jewish City, with its synagogues, Jewish Museum and the Old Jewish Cemetery.
With its extensive history and special location between the Orient and the West, Prague is
The Old City has beautiful houses and buildings
one of the biggest attractions of Central Europe.
in Baroque and Gothic styles that show the
The only symbiosis of cultures, traditions, a
wealth of ancient noble families, craftsmen and
true parade of all the architectural styles and
merchants, from the 9th century, the scenery
a natural cozy scenery, difficult to find in any
of commercial exchanges, the center of the
other city. Its 1.215.100 inhabitants make from
market. We find here, in the Square of the Old
Prague one of the smallest capitals in Europe.
City, the astronomical clock of the Town Hall,
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one of the jewels of the city. Also the Church
the Prague Castle. In this part of the city you
of Sv. Jakub and one of the most significant
will find many palaces in several architectural
Gothic buildings of the city, the Temple of Týn.
styles that are at present diplomatic buildings
In a street close to the square, you can see
in its majority. The most visited places are the
the house where the writer Franz Kafka lived during many years. In the streets of the Old City another celebrated character, who adored this city, Mozart, used to walk around, the time in which Prague was called by Golden Prague. A jewel in the waters of the river Moldava is certainly Carlos’s Bridge, built in the year of 1357 by the architect Petr Parlé Å™ during the reign
Church of Saint Nicolau, in baroque style and the Church of Our Lady of the Victory with the famous Infant Jesus of Prague. A walk around the Hradcany, another district in the surroundings of hrad (the castle) shows the tourists architectural treasures. The square is surrounded by palaces, being the most important the palace Schwarzenberk or the palace Sternberk. One of the most important
of Carlos IV. The bridge links the Old City to the
places of pilgrimage in the Czech Republic is
Small City district (Malá Strana), a beautiful zone
Loreta where you see a church, several chapels
that stretches out all the way to the bottom of
and other religious buildings.
The New City established by Carlos IV, shelters
old, shops, bars, as well as parks, and other
numerous convents, monasteries, churches and
places of the daily life of the Czechs, generally
squares. The biggest square is the Venceslau
with few tourists’ visiting, though they are
Square, the long boulevard full of restaurants,
considered safe and calm places.
hotels and shops where multiple shows and activities are celebrated in the open air. In this
CLIMATE
part of Prague, at the edge of the river Moldava
Prague is pretty in any season of the year. In
(Vltava), it is located one of the spotlight of
any season of the year there is much heat or
the contemporary architecture – the Dancing
much coldness. It is recommendable to Prague
Building, work of the architects Frank O. Gehry
visits between May and September, when the
and Vlado Milunic inspired in the skirt made out
weather is more pleasant and when city is not
of crystal from Ginger Rogers.
so full. Prague is situated in the continental climate zone when the summers are hot and
In the hill along the river, in a district called
the winters are cold. During the summer, the
Vysehrad, near to the Old City, stretches out the
middle temperature is above 35°C and in the
remains of a well preserved fortress of the 11th
winter, below 15°C.
and 12th centuries, when it was the headquarters of Czech princes. The place is the origin of fables and myths of the Czech ancient history. The surroundings of Prague is composed by several residential and commercial districts with typical urbane houses of two centuries
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The sunniest days take place in the months
BUSES
between spring and summer, and the period
As to the subway and the trams, the buses
between May and August, the rainiest days.
of Prague are of extreme quality, however
Snow in Prague is rare. If you are going to
with a difference: they are not so often used.
visit Prague in the summer, it must bear in
The service of the Prague buses cover the
mind that the restaurants, hotels and the city
surroundings of the city, work all the day, in
will be completely full of tourists. For the ones
the timetable between 5am and midnight.
who also go to England, where the weather
However, between midnight and 5am, in
is very similar, the climate will not be any
intervals of half-hour, circulate the night buses.
novelty. During the time of heat, the quality
The price of both services is quite cheap.
of the air can get worse because of pollution and can cause respiratory problems. If you
AIRPORT OF PRAGUE
suffer from asthma, it is interesting to take an
The international airport of Prague (RuzynÄ›) is
inhaler with you.
located at approximately 17km to the center of the city. The transport to downtown takes from 20 to 30 minutes by car, or 55 minutes if you
TRANSPORT SUBWAY A quick way of travelling in the city of Prague is the subway, because it is clean and effective. You can buy the tickets in any station of the subway or in the hotel where you are, for example. Also it is possible to buy the ticket in advance or after the beginning of the travel, where date and time of boarding is marked.
TRAMS A little slower than other conventional vehicles of transport, the electric ones represent a much prettier and pleasurable way of travelling. It is possible to enjoy truly the city. In all the stops of the tram, the lines are informed and the timetables.
decide for the public transportation.
ATTRACTIONS CHARLES’ BRIDGE
Originally, this road of communication was called of Stone Bridge and Bridge of Prague, but it started being called Charles’ Bridge in 1870. The bridge measures 516 meters with width of 10 meters. It is supported by 16 arches
Charles’ Bridge is the oldest bridge in Prague,
and it is protected by 3 towers: two of them
and it crosses the river Moldava from the Old
in the Small City (Malá Strana) and one in the
City up to the Small City. It is the most ancient
Old City. The tower located in the side of the
second existing bridge in the Czech Republic.
Old City is considered by many people as one
Its construction began in 1357 as a request
of the most impressive constructions of the
of King Charles IV, and it was finished at the
Gothic architecture in the world.
beginning of the 15th century. Being the only link between the two edges of the river,
The bridge is decorated by a total of 30
Charles’ Bridge was turned into the most
statues. Most of them were carried out
important road of communication between
between 1683 and 1714 in baroque style. They
the Old City, Prague Castle and the adjacent
represent several saints and patrons revered at
zones up to 1841.
that time. Amongst the artists who decorated the bridge with their works were the most prominent of the Bohemia: Matthias Braun, Jan Brokoff and his sons Michael Joseph Brokoff and Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff, and others. From 1965, all the statues were substituted by retorts, and the original works are shown in the National Museum.
THE OLD CITY SQUARE Always filled with tourists in the summer, the Old City Square is a historical square located right in the center of Prague, between Wenceslau Square and Charles’ Bridge. It is extremely important for the Czechs, as it is possible to see buildings in several architectural styles, like the Gothic Cathedral Týn and the church of Saint Nicolas. So, the square became an oasis for travelers of the narrow streets of Prague. Besides the churches, other great attractions of the square are the Astronomical clock, called Orloj, the statue of Jan Hus and the Tower of the
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Old City, that allows you to have a panoramic
NATIONAL THEATER OF PRAGUE
view of the whole place. The statue of Jan Hus
The neo-renaissance building of the National
was inaugurated in July 6th, 1915 for the 500th
Theater of Prague (www.narodni-divadlo.cz)
anniversary of his death. Jan Hus was a religious
represents the main scene with three artistic
reformer who was burnt alive because of his
casts - ballet, dramatic cast and opera. Its
beliefs. Even so, the religion preached by him is
first inauguration was in 1881. After only 12
today the most common in the country.
shows carried out in its stage, in August of
PRAGUE CASTLE
the same year the theater was destroyed by a disastrous fire. This disaster stimulated an
Situated in the Hill Hradcany, Prague Castle is
enormous national effort, the people began
one of the most important constructions and
to give money for the reconstruction of the
it is placed where the city was established.
building and in 1883 the second phase of the
Formerly, 11th century, it was inhabited by
construction of the theater was finished and
the kings of the Bohemia, however at present
then another celebrated inauguration followed.
it serves as the presidential residence. The
This rash enthusiasm of the Czech nation is
construction occupies an area superior to 72,5
reflected in the motto – “ The Nation to you “ -
thousand m². Because of that the Guinness has
written on the top of the cloth.
considered it the biggest castle of the world.
NATIONAL MUSEUM
A long time ago, the place was the sheltering
The National Museum (www.nm.cz), the
to a fortress that dominated the region
biggest and most ancient Czech museum, is
because it was possible to control all the
situated in the neo-renaissance building that
vessels that crossed the river. Based on a
dominates Venceslau Square. Its exhibitions
simple structure made out of wood, clay
include historical collections (of the prehistoric,
and stones surrounded by a trench, the
archaeological-historical period, history of
castle, after a certain time, was enlarged, as
theater) and natives (mineralogical, geologic-
well as the inhabitants. The history of the
paleontological and zoological). The building
Family Premyslid, the first residents of the
of the National Museum and especially its
construction, it is totally connected to the
historical staircase to the stage is usually
history of the castle.
used for symphonic concerts. The museum administers also other exhibitions installed in
Nowadays, the castle of Prague has several
the buildings of the Music Museum and of the
points opened to visitation. The initial nucleus
Ethnographic Museum of Náprstek.
of the castle is a very interesting visit, as it is in fact formed by three independent, superimposed castles. Each layer was built in a different time. Unfortunately there does not remain a great deal of the most ancient layers, but even so, what can be seen illustrates well the history and the style of the time.
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ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK The astronomical clock of the Old City, dated from the 15th century, is one of the most famous and precious monuments of Prague. It is situated in the Gothic tower of the Town Hall in the Old City. The astronomical clock slams, every hour between 9am and 9pm, at the same time that twelve apostles appear. From the sides of the clock figures of the Skeleton, Turkish, Mean and Vain move around. After the parade of the apostles the corner of the cock is heard and the clock begins to slam. The legend says that the councilors of the Chamber told to blind the master who had built the clock, so that he could not build a copy of the clock in other cities. The astronomical clock indicates four types of time: the time of Central Europe (ancient German time), the ancient time, the Babylonian time and the astral time.
WENCESLAU SQUARE Wenceslau Square was conceived like one of the most magnificent centers of the New City, established by Charles IV in 1348. In 1890, in the top part of the square it was built the spacious building of the National Museum, which dominates the square up to today. In 1913, also in the top part of the square a monument to Saint Wenceslau was erected. At the square’s remembrance, the most important moments of the modern Czech history: the Independence of the Czechslovack State in 1918 and the announcement of the end of the Second World war in 1945, amongst others. Its original name was Market of Horses, revealing its initial use. The last fair carried out took place in 1877.
WHERE TO STAY There are many options of accommodation that vary from price up to conditions of access to the center of the city in Prague. The city offers a countless quantity of lodgings. If you are travelling on budget, then do not waste time. Prague is a city that is occupied during the whole year, and the best is to book way in advance. In comparison to other cities in the world, Prague is very small and the public transport works very well. If you decide to book by yourself, the best is to look at the accommodation before paying. The quantity of stars of a hotel not always corresponds to the quality. All the hotels stipulate its prices in accordance to the season. The prices are higher during the high season (20 % more than in the low season). Do not belittle when choosing a hotel in Prague and always check all the offers.
DINING OUT The Czech cuisine is based on dishes based on pork and cow’s meat, potatoes (boiled or in the form of small cake) and rice. The sausages are also quite common in tents that sell food in the center of the cities. They are accompanied by a slice of bread. In the open-air markets you can taste a very traditional sweet in the city, the Ceske Trdlo. It looks like a dough of bread rolled up in a metal cylinder to be cooked. Right after the dough is cooked it receives a layer of sugar and cinnamon. A delight!
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The food customs of the Czech population
concentrates a variety of shops and boutiques
do not differ a great deal of other European
that offer from typical Czech products, like
nations. The day is divided in parts by the triad
jewels, Bohemia crystal, porcelain, puppets
of plates: breakfast, lunch and dinner. For most
and wooden toys, up to well known world-
of the Czechs, lunch is the biggest meal of the
wide trademarks. In the Prikope two important
day. At home or in the restaurant, the typical
centers with boutiques of internationally
lunch consists of a three-course meal: soup,
recognized trademarks, and several galleries
main dish and dessert (or, eventually, salad).
opened from Monday to Sunday, restaurants, coffee shops and art galleries.
SHOPPING The Parizska street is one of the most expensive in Europe, with luxurious international shops. In the Republic Square, you find a very good commercial center called Palladium. Near Parizska, at the pedestrian avenue Prikopech parallel to the pretty Plaza of the Old City,
STREET MARKETS In the open air markets, like that of the Old City Square, the prices are low, but an expert will tell you that most of them are not crystal, but yes a “ fine glass “. For the one who wants the authentic product, the business is to head in hundreds of shops spread mainly by the Old City and Malá Strana. Another attraction is the military antique shops. Prague has a handful
of these shops that are truly museums where it is possible to buy from a postcard of the
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
1st World war up to knives, uniforms, Russian machine guns and little soldiers from lead.
CURRENCY The monetary official unity of the Czech Republic is the Czech crown, the official abbreviation is CZK. The Czech Republic is member of the European Union since May 1st 2004, but it may start using the euro probably not before 2010. In the Czech Republic, the payments can be done in cash, credit card or in any other form. You will, also find many places where you can pay in euro: in most of the supermarket chains, household appliance shops and electronic commodity, petrol stations or restaurants.
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